It seems so obvious to pray for our husband when we say it aloud, but we might be falling a bit short in practice. Today, I’d like to give you lots of practical help in the important task of praying for your husband. The tips are helping me, too.

Pray in the moment

There is definitely something to be said for having a specific prayer time. It’s an opportunity to spend quality time with YHVH and bring your requests before Him. But, I want to encourage you to pray as soon as you become aware of a need. When your husband mentions something, immediately send a few sentences up to the Father. This, I believe, is part of the command to “pray without ceasing.” We are specifically talking about praying for your husband today, but this is a good practice to have with any prayer requests. The other benefit of praying immediately is that you won’t forget. You may not remember to pray during a  longer prayer time, but you will have at least prayed about it once.

Pray for specifics

My husband taught me this. We don’t need to pray,”God bless my husband.” We should be praying for specific needs, character qualities, wisdom, and other specifics. Here is a list of specifics that you might want to pray for your husband.

1. Pray that your husband reaches the full potential of what YHVH has for him. I believe that my husband is here for a reason, and I want him to fulfill his purpose.
2. Pray for your husband to have wisdom. He needs wisdom to make decisions. He needs wisdom to know what to say, and wisdom to know when to keep his mouth shut.
3. Pray that he has a compassionate heart. The world is a very hard place and that attitude can easily rub onto your husband. Pray that he has a true love for people.
4. Pray for strength. There is a lot required of men, and they need physical, emotional, and spiritual strength to get things done. My husband has to leave for work in snowstorms sometimes. I would never want to do that. But, he walks out that door and does what he has to do.
5. Pray for his faith to be increased. He needs to see that YHVH is real and working in his life. Pray not only that YHVH is working, but that your husband is seeing it. Sometimes this is as simple as the weather improving so my husband can land at the airport. But it does a lot for his faith.
6. Pray for deliverance from temptation. Here is another area where the world is a pretty unfriendly place. He wants to be faithful to you, but it’s hard. Don’t just pray for him in this area. Encourage openness. Let him tell you about his struggles without judging. Be a safe place for him. This offers its’ own protection from temptation. You see, that other girl may be pretty, but you are his confidante, and that is far more valuable.
7. Pray that he is given the ability to provide for you. He is the physical arm of YHVH’s provision. Pray that he is able and willing to work to give your family what they need. This is an important purpose that a man needs to fulfill in order to feel good about himself.
8. Pray that you are the ezer kenegdo (helpmeet) that he needs. I won’t go into it too much here, because there is so much. A godly wife cheers on her husband, protects him, calls him on his sin, and so much more. Pray that YHVH helps you to meet this incredible need that your husband has. You can read more in Guardian Angel by Skip Moen. I highly recommend it.

There is so much more that you can pray for your husband. What would you add to the list? You can get a printable list of husband prayer requests with room to add your own at the bottom of this post.

Pray with empathy

Recently, I stopped at the airport to say hi to Doug. He had finished his job for the day and was just chatting with a couple other guys. One guy was having a bad morning, with kids getting woke up by the phone, the car battery dying, etc. The other guy thought he should complain to Doug about everything that was wrong with the other guy while he was out of the room. Doug felt so cornered. He’s friends with both of them. He gets this kind of stuff everyday, listening to complaining and negativity. Some people offer him pork to make fun of him. The girls are too forward. It’s rough. Until that day, listening to those guys, I didn’t realize what he had to deal with at work. I learned that I need to be more empathetic. He’s tough, but his skin is only so thick. Things bother him, just like they would me. I have started to be more compassionate and understanding, not only when I talk to him, but when I pray for him.

Have you been assuming that your husband is a big man and stressful situations don’t affect him? It’s easy to do. We depend on his strength and toughness and resolve. But he needs compassion from us. He needs us to lift him up in prayer. It is a sacred task that we undertake as we bring his needs before the Father in a loving and compassionate way. I urge you to begin earnestly praying for your husband as if his life depended on it. In many ways, it does.

I invite you to download the printable list of husband prayer requests below. You’ll be signed up for my weekly email as well. Blessings!